This application relates to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/096,589, filed on Aug. 14, 1998, and claims priority to that provisional application. This invention relates to a U-turn tunnel finisher designed for commercial and industrial garment laundering plants. The tunnel finishers are used to remove wrinkles which are set into the garments during the laundry process, particularly when laundering cotton or cotton blend fabrics. In many cases these finishers are also used to dry the garments after laundering.
In general, the garment finisher is used to process garments after they have been laundered. The garment is then placed on a hanger and placed on a conveyor which carries the garment through the finishing machine. The garment is first conditioned with live steam injection, then heated and agitated with hot air, raising the fabric temperature to about 260-280 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature the remaining moisture is evaporated from the fabric. This causes the fibers in the garment to return to their memory state, with the fibers in their natural, relaxed condition. The wrinkles in the garment "fall out", and the garment is returned to a relatively neat appearance suitable for uniform-type garments such as uniform shirts, pants and similar garments.
The efficiency of this process and the quality of the appearance of the garment after processing is dependent on the dwell time of the garment inside the machine. The garment must remain in the finisher for a length of time sufficient to permit the temperature of the garment to be raised to the correct temperature well above the evaporation point of water so that the remaining moisture in the garment is evaporated.
Dwell time must also be compatible with daily production needs. Laundries must purchase a finisher or finishers with capacity large enough to handle present production as well as production increases over a long period of time. Prior art U-turn finishers are manufactured in such manner that an increase in production can be obtained only by purchasing additional finishers.
Specifically, prior art finishers include in a single cabinet all of the functioning elements necessary to the operation of the finisher, including the heating source, blowers, electrical and heating controls, steam-injection zone, air plenum and exhaust hood. In the U-turn type of finisher, damp garments on a hanger enter and exit on the same end of the finisher, making a U-turn at the opposite end. In a straight-through finisher, damp garments on a hanger enter one end and pass in a straight line through the finisher, exiting the other end.
In accordance with the invention, applicant has invented a U-turn tunnel finisher which is easily expandable in increments at substantially less cost than purchasing complete additional finishers. This has been done by designing and placing the functions of the finisher in modules so that they can be separated when necessary with modules designed only to permit an increase in dwell time without the need for adding further heat exchangers, controls and the like. The modules that merely increase dwell time--the expansion modules--may be constructed in varying lengths as needed. The finisher can finish garments wet to dry, damp to dry, or dry to dry.